I got off to a late start for my Monday session so my warmup was just 14 bodyweight basic squats and about 30 or so wall pushups. The Ultimate Isometrics Manual recommends a 5-minute warmup to raise the body's shell temperature - the "shell" includes the skin and limbs - then drill-specific warmups. So far I've found that drill-specific warmups only seem to be necessary for 1-rep max test sessions and the Promethean program, so I have not been doing those for 6x6. I have however found that skimping on the shell warmup seems to compromise performance on the Isochain, and Monday was no exception. While the Jefferson Lift numbers were same as always, there was a drop in last-rep max numbers for Shoulder Press and Drag Curl.
In the afternoon, I tried some pull-ups to test my shoulder and elbow. The shoulder felt fine as long as I kept the scapulae depressed. The elbow did not feel good with supinated palms, as expected for Golfer's Elbow. Pull ups with pronated palms all the way felt somewhat ok with extra focus and effort on the back-driven torque technique taught on the Red Delta Project channel. Pull ups with pronated palms in the bottom position, and rotating the palms to face each other at the top, felt the best - I still need to use the torgue technique to keep pressure off of the elbow, but I don't have to pour as much effort into that technique - which seems counterintuitive because on the surface, the palms appear to rotate inward instead of outward. Yet, pronated palms with arms extended to neutral or supinated palms at the top of the pull up feels best to me, so I have go with what feels best, and least painful. The reason I tried the pull-ups was to test my readiness for switching next week to a calisthenics program that includes pull ups. I feel more confident about practicing pull-ups again.
I finished the week with stronger performances in all 3 drills. I decided to end the 6x6 program instead of going for 8 weeks, as the rate of progress seemed to be settling rather than accelerating.
My biggest gain was in the Drag Curl, which was replacement for the Bent-Over Row after I felt the pop in my spine in Week 1. My last-rep max force reading for my first Drag Curl set that week was 37.2 lbs. Based on my last-rep max reading for the last Drag Curl session of 48.8 lbs, my strength gain was about 31%. Part of this gain was achieved by experimenting with lowering the Isochain bar. It turns out that the force output in the Drag Curl is actually greater with the elbows at closer to 45 degrees than at smaller degrees, where I thought the bicep contraction would be at their greatest.
My Shoulder Press gain was a more modest 15%. Most of the gain was from realizing that I can generate more force by locking out my knees and hips. When my shoulder was feeling less healthy, I was not even able to train with the elbows at 90 degrees and the arms greater than about 30 degrees from the sagittal plane. What I did to train pain-free was to set the bar slightly higher so that the elbows were closer to 120 degrees, and closer together, and slightly squatting so that the legs could assist a little. But now with the ability to train with the elbows at 90 degrees and a little wider apart, I can generate more force from the shoulders and make my torso and legs straight to give them a solid platform to work from. The most important shoulder press gain for me was the dramatic reduction in pain when reaching overhead, which is key to being able to do pull ups again.
The Jefferson Lift was just a drill I wanted to try out of curiosity. I have not heard of any carryover from Jefferson Lift to any of the Big 5 family skills as identified by Mindful Mover - Handstand Pushup, One-Arm Chin Up, Planche Push Up, Front Lever Row, Single-Leg Squat. Still, my curiosity was satisfied. I felt one leg working a little harder than the other, and I felt my core working as well, because of the anti-rotation aspect. However, I didn't feel the core working as hard as when I tried Pseudo Planche Push Up or Front Lever Row with Accommodating Resistance. My low back and hips felt better - not dramatically so, but noticeably better.
The plan next week is to start a calisthenics cycle emphasizing vertical push-pull and leg strength. The push-pull pair will be Pike Pushups with Accommodating Resistance, and Pull Ups, with potential transition to Mixed-Grip Chin Ups, depending on the Pull Up progress. The leg exercise pair will utilize the suspension trainer - assisted Pistol Squats and Hip Extensions. This cycle will last 8 weeks.
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